An Organized Medical Response for the Vancouver International Marathon (2006-2011): When the Rubber Hits the Road

Objective: We described an organized, on-site medical response for a large-scale urban marathon event and documented illness/injury rates as well as ambulance transfer rates at the Vancouver International Marathon (VIM). Methods: Case-series report of medical encounters was documented prospectively over a 6-yr period at the VIM. The planning and organization of the on-site medical response is the main focus of this report. Results: A total of 67,402 runners participated in the VIM from 2006 to 2011. Over the 6-yr period, 2,986 patient encounters were documented. The patient presentation rate for the series was 45/1,000, the ambulance transfer rate was 0.09-0.58/1,000, and the medical transfer rate was 0.37-1.09/1,000. Conclusion: A coordinated on-site medical team covering the entire event site and race route was deployed to reduce the severity of illness and injury at a long-distance running event.